Naval Battle of Campeche
Part of Texas-Mexican Wars andYucatan Rebellion
The Texan sloop-of-warAustin.
Date April 30 – May 16, 1843 Location nearCampeche,Mexico Result Seeaftermath
Belligerents
Republic of Texas  Republic of Yucatán	Mexico
Commanders and leaders
Edwin Ward Moore James D. Boylan	Tomás Marín
Strength
1sloop-of-war 1brig 2schooners 5gunboats[1]	3steamers 2 brigs 2 schooners[1]
Casualties and losses
7 killed 24 wounded	30 killed 55 wounded

TheNaval Battle of Campeche took place on April 30, 1843, and May 16, 1843. The battle featured the most advanced warships of its day, including theMexicansteamerGuadalupe and the equally formidableMontezuma which engaged a squadron of vessels from theSecond Republic of Yucatán and theRepublic of Texas. The latter force consisted of the Texas Navy flagship sloop-of-warAustin, commanded byCommodoreEdwin Ward Moore, thebrigWharton, and severalschooners and fivegunboats from the Republic of Yucatán, commanded by formerTexas NavyCaptain James D. Boylan.

After the conservative and centralistCentralist Republic of Mexico suspended the1824 Constitution of Mexico, the Republic of Texas, the Republic of Yucatán, and the Republic of the Rio Grande individually asserted independence. The Republic of the Rio Grande declared independence in early 1840 but was defeated and reunited with Mexico within a year, well before the battle of Campeche. Texas declared its independence in 1836, but Mexico refused to recognize its declaration. The Republic of Yucatán declared independence the same year, and remained in intermittent armed conflict with Mexico from 1836 through 1846. In an attempt to quell the rebellion, Mexico attempted to blockade the Yucatecan port of Campeche. The Battle of Campeche resulted when the allied forces of Texas and Yucatan attempted to lift the blockade. The battle ended indecisively.^[2] A scene from this battle is engraved on the cylinder of everyColt 1851 Navy,1860 Army, and1861 Navy revolver.

After declaring theirindependence from the Spanishmetropole in 1821, Mexico experienced a period of political and financial instability. In an attempt to address its people's needs and voices, theProvisional Government of Mexico drafted the1824 Constitution of Mexico. The succeedingFirst Mexican Republic did not eliminate the political and financial instability, which theConservative Party blamed on the empowerment of states over the federal government as well as mass participation in the political system throughuniversal male suffrage. After taking power in 1835, the Conservative Party suspended the 1824 Constitution. In response, Texas, Yucatán, and Rio Grande each declared independence over the next few years.

In pre-RepublicMexican Texas, tension had been rising between the Mexican authorities and settlers from the United States over the issue of chattel slavery, which had been abolished in Mexico in 1829, but not the United States. Further conflict arose over a ban on immigration that was largely defied by United States settlers, who continued to immigrate to Mexican Texas. By 1834, English-speaking immigrants outnumbered Spanish-speaking Mexicans. After Central Mexican government revoked their autonomy granted by1824 Constitution of Mexico in 1835,Texians raised a rebellion. Although defeated militarily in theTexas war of independence, resulting in a commitment to self governance in Mexican Texas, the Mexican Congress refused to recognize the independence of the Republic of Texas. The Congress claimed that theagreement was signed by Mexican President GeneralAntonio López de Santa Anna under duress as prisoner of war, and the majority of the Mexican Congress did not approve the agreement. Intermittent conflicts between Mexico and Texas continued into the 1840s.

During the same period, pre-1843, Mexico and the Republic of the Yucatán also engaged in intermittent military conflict.

Commodore Edwin Ward Moore had been waging a campaign against Mexican interests in theGulf and disrupting commerce, because it was thought the Mexican army was planning an amphibious assault on Texas in order to recapture the province. Moore could only fully refit and rearm his ships by expending his own funds when he put in atNew Orleans. The government of Texas refused him more funds and Sam Houston ordered him back to Texas so the fleet could be sold. The fleet, upon being put up for auction in Galveston, was not sold at that time because the citizens of Galveston rioted, thereby preventing the auction. Moore disregarded Houston's orders, and allied himself with the government of the Republic of Yucatan, which was then under siege from the central Mexican government. Yucatan paid Texas $8,000 a month for the services of the Texas Navy. Moore, now fully funded, sailed to lift the Mexican naval blockade of the port of Campeche.

The battle began on April 30, and involved the Texas-Yucatan force that had been attacking and clearing the Gulf of Mexico of Mexican merchant and fishing boats, against a small Mexican squadron which consisted of sailing ships and a small steamer, theRegenerador. The initial battle lasted a few hours and was a draw, as both sides retired.

After rearming, the Texan ships, including the 600 ton flagshipAustin, on May 16 encountered a much stronger Mexican squadron, which included the modern 878 ton iron-hulled (not "ironclad") paddle frigateGuadalupe and the wooden paddle frigateMontezuma, each armed with two68-pounderPaixhans guns able to fire exploding shells. On board both ships were numerous British sailors, as they were both constructed in England.

After three hours of broadsides, the battle was essentially a draw,^[3] with both sides again withdrawing after sustaining considerable damage and casualties. The Texas ships suffered some physical damage, but the Mexican ships suffered many more casualties of both dead and wounded.

The Mexican steamshipRegenerator and its battered attendant squadron rejoined theGuadalupe and theMoctezuma flotilla about May 19, and withdrew from the area, and the Texas squadron retired toGalveston.

Both engagements resulted in stalemate and ships of both sides received damage. Because the Mexican squadron had to return to friendly port for repair, the naval blockage was lifted.

Texas squadron were acclaimed as heroes on their return, even though Texas PresidentSam Houston had declared Commodore Moore and the ships' captains and crewpirates for sailing against his wishes. However, after acourt martial, Commodore Moore was acquitted of all piracy charges. Having fought an iron-hulled Mexican steamship and 2 other steamers essentially to a draw using only wooden sailing ships was an achievement for Commodore Moore, the Naval Battle of Campeche becoming one of the few, or perhaps only, known naval battle in world history in which sailing ships held their own against steam-powered ships in combat.^{[citation needed]}

The battle proved that one of Mexico's significant tool against Yucatán, naval blockade, could be countered by Yucatán allying with foreign powers. Banking on this ability, Yucatán managed to get concession including full autonomy for their rejoining to Mexico in their negotiation with Mexico on December 5, 1843. Central Mexico soon reneged the agreement and Yucatán seceded again. However, Yucatán suffered conflicts both external, a) with Central Mexico and b) naval blockade by US Navy inMexican–American War, and internal, c) partisanship of their leadership and d) Mayan uprising (called theCaste War). Due to the distressing situation of theCaste War, Yucatán seek economic and military assistance from Mexico. On August 17, 1848, Yucatecan president,Miguel Barbachano ordered the resumption of a confederation of Mexico and the restoration of the 1825 Constitution of Yucatán.

The battle scene was memorialized bySamuel Colt in an engraving on the cylinder of the famed 1851 and 1861 Colt Navy Revolvers and the Colt 1860 Army Revolver. This was in expression of gratitude to Commodore Moore who in 1837 had purchased Colt Paterson Revolvers for the Republic of Texas Navy. By the time of the Battle of Campeche, however, Colt's enterprise was bankrupt. He would make a comeback in 1847 when under Colonel John C. Hays he was rescued from oblivion and put back to work making guns theTexas Rangers would use in the Mexican War.

Texas Navy:

• Austin, 20 guns, 600 tonsloop-of-war,flagship
• Wharton, 16 guns,brig

Yucatecan Navy:

• Independencia,schooner
• Sisaleno, schooner
• Fivegunboats

Mexican Navy:

• Guadalupe, iron hulled paddle frigate, 2 68 pdr. Paixhans guns, 2 32 pdr. 878 tonssteamer, flagship
• Montezuma, wooden hulled paddle frigate, 2 68 pdr. Paixhans guns, 6 32 pdr., 1,111 tonsteamer
• Regenerator,steamer
• Yucateco, 12 guns, brig
• Iman, 7 guns, brig
• Aguila, 7 guns, schooner
• Campechano, 3 guns, schooner

• Naval operations of the Texas Revolution
• Battle of the Brazos River
• Battle of Matamoros
• Battle of Galveston Harbor (1837)
• Republic of Yucatán
• Republic of Texas
• Centralist Republic of Mexico

19°55′N90°38′W / 19.917°N 90.633°W /19.917; -90.633

• Conflicts in 1843
• 1840s battles
• Naval battles involving Mexico
• Naval battles involving the Republic of Texas
• 1843 in Mexico
• 1843 in the United States
• Republic of Yucatán
• History of Campeche
• April 1843
• May 1843

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